eldredge



J. V. D; ELDREDGE.

(ModeL) OAR.

No. 485,410. Patented Sept. 2,1890.

I @II 3 [WY E03 Y OW/f Q09 6 WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN V. D. ELDREDGE, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO CURTIS B. ELDREDGE, OF SAME PLACE.

OAR.

SEPEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 435,410, dated September 2, 1890.

Application filed November 19, 1889. Serial No. 330,834:- (Modem To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J OHN V. D. ELDREDGE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, county of l/Vayne, State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Oars; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention is designed to produce what is called a bow-facing car that is, one in which the operator faces toward the bow in rowing; and it consists, essentially, of divid ing the oar at. a point outside of the gunwale of the boat, pivoting the handle portion to the gunwale,-and connecting the outer or blade portion to the gunwale by chains, and in other novel features of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan View showing a portion of the gunwale. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a partial side elevation showing a modification in the manner of connecting the two parts of the car together. Fig. 4 is a side elevation illustrating still another modification of the same.

In carrying out my invention, A represents the gunwale of the boat.

B B' constitute the car, the portionB being the handle and the portion B being the blade. The handle portion may be pivoted to the gunwale in any suitable manneras, for instance, by the pin 1). The two portions are pivoted together by the bolt 0, the engagement preferably being strengthened by the iron 0 c.

O C are short arms projecting at right angles from the iron 0, and preferably formed integral therewith.

D D are chains having one end engaged in the arms 0 C and the other ends extended back to the gunwale and attached thereto, as shown. It will thus be observed that the operator when sitting in the boat can face the bow and yet get the same leverage and purchase to row with that he has with the straight 5o oar. If'desired, an orifice E may be bored through the two portions adjacent to the point where they are pivoted together and the pin E inserted, and then by disconnecting the chains from the arms 0' O the car can be used for astraightoar. Of course the manner of engaging and pivoting the two parts together may be variedas, for instance, the construction shown at Fig. 3 may be employedand I would of course not desire to ally engaged t0gether, the inner or handle portion being pivoted to the boat and the outer or blade portion connected to the boat by rods or chains, substantially as described.

2. An oar consisting of two portions B B,

pivotally engaged together, the portion B pivoted to the gunwale and the portion B provided with arms 0' 0 said arms connected with the gunwale by chains or rods, substantially as described.

3. An oar consisting of two portions BB,

pivoted together, the portions adjacent to the pivot so arranged that the portion B extends at an angle from the portion B, said portion B engaged to the gunwale of the boat, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN V. D. ELDREDGE.

- Vt itnesses:

W. H. OHAMBERLIN, W. W. LEGGETT.

The blade is thus thrown 70 

